Domino and other game registers



oct. 5, 1937. R. VANA 2,095,161

DOMINO AND OTHER GAME REGISTERS Filed March 20, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 5, 1937. R VANA 2,095,161

DOMINO AND OTHER GAME REGISTERS Filed March 20, 1934 2 Sl'xeeJLs-Sheec` 2 faja/2% yan@ @M O i Patented Oct. 5, 1937 PATENT OFFICE DOMINO AND OTHER GAME REGISTERS Rudolph Vana,

Application March 20,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in domino and other game registers.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a register device for the scoring of the game of dominos and other games wherein a dial arbitrarily graduated for the scoring of 250 points has an indicator hand movable thereover in astep by step movement registering 5 points at each operation and giving an audible signal at the scoring of each 5 points so that the players of the game may audibly determine the points being scored on the register without visible inspection thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a register device of the foregoing character wherein an auxiliary dial is carried by the indicator arm with a tensioned indicator nger carried by the auxiliary dial for registering scores of 1 to 9 so that the register may be used for the scoring of various games, such as the game known as Forty-Two, the score of 40 being registered on the large or main dial and the score of 2 points being registered on the auxiliary dial. It is a still further object ofthe invention to provide a register device for the scoring of games including a combined pinion and ratchet wheel for causing movement of an indicator arm over a scoring dial with the combined pinion and ratchet wheel being operated either by means of a manually operated pinion or indicator arm and further including a spring element acting as a dog for cooperation with the ratchet portion of the wheel to prevent retrograde movement thereof and to create an audible sound during each escapement of a ratchet tooth on the wheel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a register for the scoring of games embodying a casing formed of bell metal with means for sounding the bell during each scoring operation on the register.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a domino or other game scoring register constructed in accordance with the present invention showing the graduated dial, the indicator dial movable thereover, the auxiliary dial carried by the indicator arm and the indicator nger;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan View of the device;

San Antonio, Tex.

1934, Serial No. 716,533

(Cl. 23S-121) Figure 3 is a Vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing the gear and pinion for rotating the indicator arm and the tensioned indicator finger for the auxiliary indicator dial;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3, showing the spring pawl cooperating with ratchet teeth on the ring gear for preventing retrograde movement of the indicator arm for creating an audible signal during operation of the indicator arm;

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of another form of register device with the operating pinion of Figures 1 to 4 eliminated;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional View of the register device of Figure 4, similar to the showing in Figure 4 with the operating pinion eliminated and illustrating the spring pawl;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of another form of register device wherein the indicator arm is manually movable over the graduated dial;

Figure 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7, showing the spring mounting for the indicator arm;

Figure 9 is a top plan View of another form of register device embodying a casing of bell metal for the sounding of a signal in addition to the audible signal produced by the pawl and ratchet mechanism;

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line lI-H of Figure 10, showing a bell hammer or striker operated by the pawl and ratchet mechanism;

Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view taken 0n line l2 |2 of Figure 11, showing the spring pawl engaged with the ratchet member and also operatively engaged with the bell hammer;

Figure 13 is a bottom plan view of the register operating mechanism showing the pivotal mounting of the bell hammer and the engagement therewith of the spring pawl for the ratchet member; and

Figure 14 is a side elevational view of the pinion for operating the combined gear and ratchet wheel.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, there is illustrated a register device primarily intended r for the counting or registering of scores for various games, such as domino, the register device comprising a disk wall I5 carrying a depending annular wall I 6 from which equi-distantly spaced apertured lugs Il project and to the undersides of which lugs cushion seats I8 are suitably secured so that the register device may be set upon a highly polished table or the like without mari ring the surface thereof. Y The apertures in the projections il extend through Ythe cushion seats I8 and permit permanent attachment of the registerdevice to a support. The upper face of the Ydisk wall l5 at its marginal edge carries a circular series of counter-graduations including a series of spaced radial lines I9 .with a legend 2l! associated with each line I9 and designating a count of 25 between each two radial lines, the

' legends running from zero as at 20a to two fifty l Y as at 28D. Graduation marks 2l such as beads,

Y its lower end above the lower edge of the annular side wall I6 a rigid crown gear 23 having its circular series of teeth 24 directed upwardly. An auxiliary disk register 25 of less diameter than the disk wall l5 is secured upon the upper end Vof the spindle 22 above the disk wall by means of the radialY anchor pin 26 as shown in Figure 3.

The disk register 25 being spaced from the diskY wall I5 by means of the upstanding boss 2l sur- -'rounding the opening in the disk wall through which the spindle 22 extends. A laterally directed indicator arm 28 is carried by the auxiliary disk register 25 for registry with the Agraduation counter-characters I9 and 2|.

VThe operating means for the crown gear 23 that imparts rotary movement tothe indicator Varm 28Y includes a pinion shaft 29 shown in detail in Figure 14 as having a tapered pinion 38 upon one end, an annular groove 3l intermediate its ends Vand a knurled operating handle 32 upon its other end. ,The pinion shaft 29 is rotatablyV mounted in the sleeve bearing 33 projecting inwardly of the annular side wall I6 of the register as shown in Figure 3 and is rotatably retained in the sleeve bearing 33 by means of the set screw 34 threaded through a side wall of the,V

Vbearing 33 and entering the annulargroove 3l in the pinion shaft 29. The sleeve bearing 33 is inclined as illustrated for the proper placement of bevelled pinion 38 for engagement with theY teeth 24 of the crown gear 23. A spring pawl 35 is anchored at one end as at 35 to the underside of the Vdisk wall I5 and the free end 31 thereof extends over and has ratcheting engagement with the teeth 24 of the crown gear, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the spring pawl 35 preventing retrograde movement of the crown gear and indicator arm 28 and also producing an audible sound when the end 3l thereof escapes a tooth of the crown gear. Y

The counter-graduations at the marginal edge of the disk wall I5 each designates the scoring of ve points, this being the regular scoring for the game of dominos, but for the scoring ofV other games, such for instance where the total score would amount to Forty-Two, the auxiliary disk register 25 is also used. The disk register 25 as shown in Figure 1 carries ten radial projections 38 carrying ligure legends respectively numbered 1V to 9 andV 0.V An indicator finger, is associated..

protuberances, pins, projections, dots or the likeY with the auxiliary disk register 25 and includes an inverted cup-shaped sleeve 40 supported by the upper end of the spindle 22 and rotatable on said spindle by means of a screw 4I and maintained in an'elevated position spaced from the spindle 22 and engaged with the head of the screw 4| by means of a coil spring 42 surrounding the spindle 22 and engaged with the upper end of the auxiliary dial and the upper end of the cup-shaped sleeve 4i! as clearly illustrated in Figure 3, An indicator finger 43V projects outwardly of the sleeve 48 and is directed toward a numbered projection 38 on the disk register 25. The bearing 45 carrying the indicator finger is manually operated and is retained in shifted positions by means of the coil spring 42.

In the use of the game register, the same may be freely placed upon a table or othersupport, by resting on its cushioned seat I8 or the device may be permanently attached to a support by passing fastening devices through the apertured projections and seats [land I8. The main register is designed for the registering of scores in multiples of ve, the indicatorrarm 8A in Figure 1 designating a score of 35, theY indicator arm 28 is moved over the register dial by operating the pinion shaft 25 that imparts rotary movement to the crown gear 23 and spindle 22, the indicator arm 25 being rigid with the spindle 22. For the registering of scores such as 36, 42 or 51, the main indicator arm moves overV the main dial tothe greatest multiple of ve and the-indicatorfinger 43 is then manually rotated to register with the desired legend 35 upon a projection 38 of the auxiliary disk register 25. .During operation of the indicator arm 28, step by step movementsthereof are rendered audible by the teeth 24 of the crown gear escaping the end 3l' of the spring pawl 35 so that the players of the game may determine the score beingregistered by an audible signal without the necessity of actual visible inspection of the registen The teeth 24 of the crown gear 23; are so arranged that when the indicator arm 28 registers with the legend 20D designating the complete score of two hundred fifty for the game of dominos, the indicatorV arm 2S may be moved from 250 to 0 without giving an audible click or indication. v

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5. and 6,4the pinion shaft 29 has been eliminated and the register is manually operated by gripf ping the auxiliary disk register 25 formoving the indicator arm 28 over the dial graduations, the structure otherwise remaining the same and being identied by like characters employed in the description of the invention as shown in Figs. 1 to 4. One other feature of the invention that distinguishes the showing in Figs. 5 and 6 from the form of Figs. 1 to 4, is the omission of the tooth Yof the crown gear 23 indicated at 24h trally thereof and upon which the cup .bearingV portion 46 of an indicator arm 4l is rotatably mounted. The upper end of the spindle 45 is headed asl at 48 anda coil spring 431s interposed between the bottom of the cup-shaped bearing 46 and the head 48 of the spindle 45 for retaining the indicator arm 41 frictionally engaged with the disk plate 44. The indicator arm 41 is rotatable on the spindle for registry with the counter-graduations adjacent the marginal edge of the disk plate 44.

The invention further contemplates the provision of an audible signal in the form of a bell which is sounded concurrently with the operation of the registering mechanism and as shown in Figs. 9 to 13, the disk wall l5a and the annular depending side walls |6a are formed of bell metal, this part of the register device being assembled with a base plate 50 carried by the spindle 22a having its lower end swiveled in the spider 5|, 52 and 53 on the base plate 50 with the upper end of the spindle 22a projecting through the upper disk wall |5a to carry the auxiliary disk register 25a and indicator arm 28a of the construction similar to the form of invention illustrated in Figure l. A frictionally tensioned indicator finger 43a is carried by the upper end of the spindle 22a for the registering of single points in a game, the registering indicia on the disk plates |5a and 25a being identical with the disclosure in Figure 1.

A spider frame embodying radial arms 5|, 52 and 53 carries a depending block 54 at the outer end of each arm that is anchored to the base plate 5l) by fastening screws 55 or the like, the blocks 54 spacing the arms of the spider frame upwardly of the base plate 50. 'I'he spindle 22a is journalled centrally through the spider frame. As shown in Figure 13, a crown gear 23a is keyed to the spindle 22a as at 56 between the spider frame and the base plate 50, the teeth 24a being directed upwardly as shown in Figure 11 while the peripheral edge of the crown gear 23a is provided with ratchet teeth 51, one tooth being omitted as at 51a for purposes presently to appear. The rotating means for the crown wheel 23a and spindle 22a comprises the pinion shaft 29 shown in Figure 14 that is rotatably retained in the bearing sleeve 33a carried by the spider arm 5| by means of the set screw 34a entering the annular groove 3| of the pinion shaft, the tapered pinion 30 being engaged with the crown gear teeth 24a.

To prevent retrograde movement of the crown gear and spindle, there is provided a spring arm 58 anchored at one end as at 59 to the block 60 carried by the spider arm 52 and tensioned in a direction toward the crown wheel. The spring arm 58 is cut away to provide a pawl 35a engageable with the ratchet teeth 51 and the free end of the spring arm 58 is fashioned for operative engagement with a bell ringing hammer. A bell clapper or hammer 6| is pivoted as at 62 upon the spider arm 53 and is provided upon one end thereof with a striking head 63, the other end of the bell hammer 6| being bifurcated as at 64 to provide a slot for the reception of depending nger 65 carried by the spring arm 58, the bell hammer 6| being movedv upon its pivotal mounting 62 during movement of the spring arm 58 responsive to escape movement of the ratchet teeth 51 relative to the pawl 35a. The free end of the spring arm 58 is engaged with the spider arm 53 to relieve excessive pressure of the pawl 35a on the ratchet teeth 51, and to better regulate the hammer.

Upon rotation of the pinion shaft 29 for the operation of the crown gear 23a and spindle 22a, the indicator arm 28a moves over the register indicia, the escape of the ratchet tooth 51 with the pawl 35a being audible, and a signal bell is also sounded by movement of the bell hammer 6| under influence of the spring arm 58. When the indicator arm 28aI reaches the highest score of 250 on a register, the untoothed portion 51a of the combined crown gear and ratchet wheel 23a is presented to the pawl 35a so that with a single click of the pawl and ratchet mechanism and with a single ringing of the bell, the indicator arm 28a moves from the score of 250 to the zero score or starting point.

From the above detailed description of the invention, it is believed that the construction and operation of the several forms thereof will at once be apparent, it being noted that the indicator nger 43a is frictionally and resiliently supported upon the upper end of the auxiliary dial 25a in the same manner as the mounting of the indicator iinger in the showing of the invention in Figures 1 to 6 and the indicator arm 41 in Figures 1 and 8. The scoring is actually displayed upon the register device and the operation of the register is both visible and audible, the main register counting the scores in the multiples of five while the auxiliary register counts the score in units.

While there are herein shown and described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is nevertheless' to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:-

1. In a game register, a graduated register disk, a rotatably mounted indicator arm movable thereover, and means for rotating the indicator arm including a supporting spindle therefor, a combined crown gear and ratchet wheel xed to the spindle, a manually operable pinion engaged with the crown gear for rotation thereof, a spring arm anchored at one end, a pawl rigid with the spring arm adjacent its anchored end for engagement with the ratchet wheel for audibly indicating the escape of a ratchet tooth over the pawl, the register including a casing of bell metal and a bell hammer adapted to be operated by the free end of the spring arm.

2. In a game register, a graduated register disk, a rotatably mounted indicator arm movable thereover, and means for rotating the indicator arm including a supporting spindle therefor, a combined crown gear and ratchet wheel fixed to the spindle, a manually operable pinion engaged with the crown gear for rotation thereof, a spring arm anchored at one end, a pawl rigid with the spring arm adjacent its anchored end for engagement with the ratchet wheel for audibly indicating the escape of a ratchet tooth over the pawl, the register including a casing of bell metal, a bell hammer pivoted intermediate its ends in the casing with a hammer head on one end, the other end of the bell hammer being slotted and an extension on the spring arm adjacent the free end thereof disposed in the bell hammer slot for operation of the hammer upon movement of the spring arm.

RUDOLPH VANA. 

